


The Light from Your Chest

by CrescentScar



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Eventual Smut, M/M, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23367484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentScar/pseuds/CrescentScar
Summary: The morning sun is caressing the kitchen, but it feels out of place. Bucky’s sure Steve hasn’t seen Tony after they signed the Accords and apparently he takes this unique opportunity to bring up all his grievances. His first thought is: goddamn it, I just wanted some apple juice. His second thought is: Tony doesn’t deserve this, this shouldn’t be happening. Bucky can see the tightness of his muscles in his form-fitting suit. He can sense the panic — how Tony would much rather be anywhere else right this moment. Steve seems painfully oblivious of the fact. He’s ranting about something trivial and Bucky just wants to shut him up and take Tony somewhere calm, somewhere where he feels safe.orTony sees both of them.Steve doesn't seem to see either of them.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, The Winter Soldier/Tony Stark
Comments: 13
Kudos: 437





	The Light from Your Chest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KapteeniAngie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KapteeniAngie/gifts).



> I don’t want to offend anyone with DID! Especially since what's going on right now. This is purely for entertainment and not at all a depiction of DID or alters.

“Look. I know it wasn’t you. It wasn’t your fault,” Tony had said when they met for the first time after the pardons. “I forgive you, and I hope you can forgive me, too.”

Pepper had come in before Bucky could say anything, accompanied by the click of her heels, and ordered Tony to a board meeting. Bucky still isn’t sure how long he stood there, stunned.

He settles to his floor in the Tower and doesn’t see Tony much after that. There’s those moments when he can’t sleep, or wakes up from nightmares he doesn’t remember and sits alone in the darkness of the living room and Tony comes up for air (coffee) from a tech binge and they sit together silently as Tony downs his cup. But Tony seems to make an appearance only when Bucky is the only one on the common floor. He’s never there, when the other Avengers are.

And really, Bucky’s glad. Even though he feels bad about it. But he can barely listen to Clint and Wanda’s complaining or Steve’s mutterings without losing his temper — he doesn’t want Tony subjected to that.

But, it happens, that it doesn’t matter what Bucky wants. 

The morning sun is caressing the kitchen, but it feels out of place. Bucky’s sure Steve hasn’t seen Tony after they signed the Accords and apparently he takes this unique opportunity to bring up all his grievances. His first thought is: goddamn it, I just wanted some apple juice. His second thought is: Tony doesn’t deserve this, this shouldn’t be happening. Bucky can see the tightness of his muscles in his form-fitting suit. He can sense the panic — how Tony would much rather be _anywhere_ else right this moment. Steve seems painfully oblivious of the fact. He’s ranting about something trivial and Bucky just wants to shut him up and take Tony somewhere calm, somewhere where he feels safe.

It gets dark and cold.

* * *

Rogers’ voice is white noise — static in his ears, but the Soldier can read his body language and all that matters is Stark’s reaction to it. Rogers throws his hands up, exasperated. Stark flinches. It’s barely noticable — the Soldier is sure even the Widow, as she is now, would have difficulty detecting the intricacies of Stark’s expressions. Stark crosses his arms across his chest (hugging himself), face an impassive mask (waiting for the next blow). Before Rogers has a chance to make it worse, the Soldier acts. He crosses the room with long strides.

He throws Rogers against the wall hard enough to leave a dent. On the wall, regrettably. The Soldier would much prefer breaking the Captain. Plaster falls on the floor, and Rogers would follow it, but the Soldier slams him back. Pins him on the wall like a moth with his metal palm against his sternum. He feels, _can hear_ how Rogers’ ribs crunch under his hand. Someone yells and the Soldier reflexively turns his gaze toward Stark. 

“They said he’s free of the trigger words!” the Witch screams. Her voice is really starting to grate the Soldier’s nerves.

“Bucky,” Rogers wheezes out. “Please.”

The Soldier sneers, presses Rogers harder.

“Tony, what the hell!” Barton yells and the Soldier’s focus turns automatically back to Stark. He seems pale. The Soldier cannot fathom how they turned him surfacing as Stark’s fault. 

Stark swallows. Runs his fingers through his hair. “Stand down, Soldier,” Stark says with a tired voice. 

He freezes — for a split second he can do nothing but stare at the man. No one (he thinks) knew he even existed. Wakandan technology removed the Winter Soldier programming, yes. They could not, however, remove him. Stark is certainly more perceptive than one might think. In the eleven months they had spent with the Rogues, as far as the Soldier knew, no one had even suspected a thing. It took three weeks in the Tower for someone to finally see him. Not just _here_. Stark must’ve known before.

The Soldier gives him a meaningful look before turning to Rogers, snarling at him and dropping him. He turns and walks out, expecting Stark to follow him, as the gravity pulls the Captain on his knees.

“Hey!” Clint yells after him. 

He hears how the Witch exclaims, “We can’t just let him leave!”

Stark joins him in the elevator just before the doors slide shut. They stand in silence as the elevator takes them to Stark’s lab.

* * *

Bucky opens his eyes to bright lights, metallic workbenches. 

“Hey, Barnes.”

“Tony!” he gasps. “Did I hurt you? God, what happened?”

His flesh and blood hand moves before Bucky can stop himself, but he doesn’t dare to touch Tony. His fingers twitch mid-air.

“No, no, you didn’t,” Tony says. There’s a twist on his lip. “He didn’t.”

Bucky’s heart skips, then starts hammering against his ribs. “He.”

“You are aware of him, right?”

Bucky has to sit down. He stumbles to the worn out couch in the corner of the workshop. Tony follows him. “Yeah. Didn’t realise anyone else was.”

“Hm.” 

Tony hovers. Bucky wants him to sit down (Bucky wants to check him for injuries, even though he knows it’s irrational), but doesn’t know how to ask. 

“Are you okay?” he asks instead.

Tony barks a laugh. It’s a sharp, edgy tone. “Sure.” He sighs and sits on the armrest. “Are you?”

Bucky has to turn away. He leans his elbows to his knees, stares at the dull grey of the floor. “I don’t know,” he answers truthfully. He tucks a strand of hair behind his ear that has escaped his bun. Evidently _something_ had happened. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“JARVIS?” 

“Right away, sir.”

Bucky looks up when a blue toned hologram screen lights up before him. It feels strange, watching himself on video without any memories of the events. Kind of like the footage from the Vienna bombing, but not. This time he knows this is his body and his mind. That he is _in there._

He cringes when Steve hits the wall. He doesn’t feel regret. He’s not angry. Well. He is, kind of, to Steve.

“I’m sorry,” Tony says with a small voice.

It makes Bucky turn towards him. “Sorry for what?”

Tony seems taken aback. 

“What?” Bucky repeats. “You — Wait, you actually think that this,” he gestures at the screen, where Steve falls, “is in any way your fault?”

“The Soldier —”

“I would’ve done the same if he hadn’t stepped in.”

Tony stares at him, mouth open and Bucky can’t help himself. He has to steal a glance of Tony’s lips.

“Maybe with a little less violence,” Bucky amends. “God. I need to find a way to talk to him about that.”

“Wait,” Tony orders and pulls the holographic screen to himself. “I might be able to help.”

Bucky settles to watch him work.


End file.
